1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates in general to a spinal cage and in particular to an extendable spinal cage and implanting method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, the human spine 100 comprises a column of vertebrae 110 and adjoining structures. The bodies of the vertebrae 110 are connected by anterior and posterior ligaments and intervertebral disks 120. The column of vertebrae 110 and intervertebral disks 120 form a central axis that supports the head and torso of bodies.
One of the most costly health problems involves back pain and pathology of the spine. Back pain may be caused by several factors such as congenital deformities, traumatic injuries, degenerative changes to the spine and the likes. Additionally, herniation of intervertebral disc may lead to nerve conduction disorders. Upon identification of these abnormalities, spinal fusion surgery may be required to correct the problems.
Conventional spinal fusion can fix the vertebrae together by implanting a spinal cage P between the vertebrae 110, thus preventing movement therebetween and maintaining a space originally occupied by the intervertebral disk 120. However, since conventional spinal cages usually have considerable dimensions, large surgical sites are inevitable and adversely influence patients.